Let's resolve ... To get a few things accomplished in 2013

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Today is the day that many Americans look at the calendar and decide to eat less, exercise more or learn how to work those unused programs in their computer. Ho-hum.

What if, instead, the country's leaders set their sights a little higher and made a New Year's resolution to complete some unfinished business?

In Washington, that could mean ending the game of chicken between Democrats and Republicans every time there's a big budget issue that surfaces. It shouldn't take a cliff, fiscal or otherwise, to get Congress' attention. Addressing the debt ceiling or ensuring the stability of Medicare should not mean weeks or months of governmental gridlock. It should mean rolling up your sleeves and making a deal.

In Harrisburg, how about a funding program to fix Pennsylvania's roads and bridges and maintain public transit? It's been almost a year and a half since Gov. Tom Corbett's funding commission submitted its revenue proposals, yet the governor still hasn't said which course he wants to take.

In Pittsburgh, voters will begin focusing on the race for mayor, so now is a good time for candidates to lay out a vision for the city's next 10 years. Because of its dicey finances, city spending has been constrained and new ideas are nowhere to be found. It's time to dream big again about Pittsburgh, as if its future depended on it.

This is only a start -- just three modest resolutions for 2013. If we get lucky there, maybe we can ask for three more -- a postseason for the Steelers, a winning season for the Pirates and a salvaged season for the Penguins.